Well-drilling apparatus



Dec. 4, E928. 1,693,6QQ

v G. R. LIVERGOOD WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Filed April 25, 1.924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 l g 2 I l: 0 i

Dec. 4, E9 2 11,693,6419 G. R. LIVERGOOD WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Filed April 25, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 meats bit - a! R. LIVOD, OE HOUSTON, TEXAS.

WELL-DRILLING APPARATUS.

Application filed April 25,

The present invention relates particularly to well drilling apparatus of the type invented by Waldo Sheldon, in which the drill may be operated with a hydraulic'feed or the apparatus be operated as a simple rotary drilling outfit with the drill feed controlled by a hoist cable.

The objects of this invention are to facilitate the changing over from rotary drilling to pressure feed operations or vice versa and to provide simple, substantial and entirely practical means for both the rotary and the pressure feed operations.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention embodied in one commercial form,

but it will be understood that the structure may be modified to suit different requirements without departure from the broad spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the following specification-and covered in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a broken sectional view of the invention of the power head of a well drilling apparatus with the invention incorporated therein.

Figure 2 is an enlarged bottom plan view taken substantially on the plane of line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top, plan view on substantially the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on substantially the plane of line 4--4 of Figure 3. I

Figures 5 and 6 are broken detail views of the clamp nuts for, the locking jaws.

Figure 7 is a brokendetail view of a modification having means for limiting the outward opening movement of the locking jaws.

The outfit illustrated comprises a rotary table 7 .in which a drill holding sleeve 8 is slidingly keyed at 9 so as to be capable of vertical movement while being rotated by the table. Engaged with this rotating sleeve is a yoke or head 9 'having outstanding arms 10 to which are connected the piston rods 11 of the power cylinders 12.

This non rotating head is shown as engaged between upper and lower thrust shoulders 13, 14 on the sleeve to enable application of a lifting or a lowering force to the sleeve without interfering with the free rotation of thesame.

The drill stem engaging means constituting the present invention is applied to the upper end of the sleeve and comprises, in the 1924.' Serial No. 708,8d4.

form of the invention illustrated, an adapter bushing 15 seated in theupper end of the sleeve and secured to rotate therewith, a drive bushing 16 having a rotary driving engagement with the drill stem and holding jaws 17, 18 having an interlocking engagement with the drill stem for imparting the vertical feeding or lifting movements thereto.

The adapter bushing is shown as fitting down in the upper end of the sleeve and as having an outstanding flange 19 through which bolts 20 are passed into the upper end or head of the sleeve. This construction onables the quick attachment or detachment of the adapter so that adapters of different type or size may be readily interchanged. This adapter is illustrated as having a downwardly tapered bore therethrough which is widened or cut back at diametrically opposite points at 21 substantially to the full diameter permitted, to pass the drill bit.

The drive bushing is removably seated in the adapter and secured to rotate therewith in the present instance by having a substantially square flange 22 at its upper end seat-ing in a correspondingly angular recess 23 in the upper end of the adapter. l he bushing has an external taper to fit the bore of the adapter and a bore for driving engagement with the cross section of the particular form of grief stem in use.

In this disclosure the grief stem 24 has four angular sided keyways 25 providing longitudinally extending drive shoulders and the drive bushing is provided with tour angular keys or ribs 26 engaged in such ways or grooves. This keying engagement between the drive bushing and drill stem provides a positive interlock by which the rotation of the table is imparted to. the drill stem.

An interlock for the vertical feeding is provided by the jaws 17, 18, each pivoted at one end on a stud 29 and having at their opposite ends, slots 30, which maybe open,- as illustrated in Figure 3, to enable their engagement from opposite sides over a stud 31. These two studs are set in the adap-ter'bushing and are screw threaded at their'upper ends to take the nuts 32, 33, having operating handles 34, 35. At their central portions the hingedly relatedjaws are shaped to take into transversely extending notches or seats 36 provided in the sides of the grief stem. These notches are shown in the form of annular grooves entirely surrounding the stem and the jaws accordingly are proportioned to fit into these annular grooves. The spacing of these vertical-drive grooves on the grief stem may vary but for ordinary purposes they may be provided about twenty-four inches apart.

To provide a positive interlock by the turning down of the securing nut on the free ends of the clamp jaws, the upper jaw is shown as having a circular seat 37 surrounding the bolt passage into which the lower end of the lock nut extends when said nut is turned down to secure the jaws closed and the meeting faces of the two jaws are shown as inclined at 38, Figure 5, to eiiect an automatic interlock between the same when they are forced together by the hand nut.

With both hand nuts turned down, it will be seenthat the vertical-feed clamps will be fixed in position and will be capable of imparting either a lifting or a lowering movement to the drill stem and that on the other hand, upon simply loosening these two hand nuts, the clamp members may be swung open entirely clear of the grief stem. WVith the clamps thus freed of the grief stem, said stem can be raised or lowered entirely independently of, the pressure feeding head. This means that upon loosening the hand nuts and swinging the jaws open in the clear, the drill stem feed or lifting can be controlled by the cable hoist after the manner common in rotar drilling. Thus the change from hydraulic teed to ordinary rotary drilling, with cable feed control, can be quickly effected. 1

When operating as a straight rotary the clamp jaws may be locked in their open or outwardly swung position by means of dowel pins or the like dropped through openings 39 in the jaws into properly positioned seats 40 in the flange portion of the drive bushing.

To facilitate the opening and closing movements of the vertical drive jaws, they are shown provided with projecting handles 41 at the free ends of the same to be grasped by the operator when said jaws are to be swung to either open or closed positions.

To limit the swinging open movement of the jaws, the slots in the free ends of the same may be of closed construction as shown in Figure 7 instead of open ended as inFigure 3, the length of such slots being su flicient to enable opening of the jaws far enough to release them from holding engagement with the shoulders in the grief stem. With this construction the opening of the jaws is positively limited so that the same will not swing outwardly beyond the rim of the chuck head in case the hand nuts are not properly tightened.

What is claimed is: e

1. In. well drilling apparatus, a rotary table, a sleeve slidingly keyed to said table, a drill stem having a longitudinal drive shoulder for rotary driving and transverse shoulders for vertical feed, rotary drive means carried by the sleeve having sliding engagement with the longitudinal shoulder of the drill stem and vertical drive means carried bythe sleeve and readily engageable with and disengageable from the transverse shoulders of the drill stem.

2. A combination as in claim 1 in which the vertical drive means comprises swing clamp mechanism which can be quickly swung into and out of engagement with the transverse shoulders of the drill stem.

3. A combination as inclaim 1 in which the rotary drive shoulder is provided by av longitudinal groove in theside of the drill stem and in which the vertical drive shoulders are provided by transverse cuts in the stem intersecting the longitudinal groove.

4. A combination as in claim 1 in which the rotary drive means comprises an adapter seated in the upper end of the sleeve having a rib for sliding engagement with the drive shoulder of the drill stem.

5. A combination as in claim 1 in which the rotary drive means is recessed at one point to provideclearance for the passage of a drill bit.

6. In well drilling apparatus, a rotary table, a sleeve slidably keyed thereto, a nonrotating power applying head engaged with said sleeve, a drill stem having a longitudinal drive shoulder and transverse drive shoulders, a drive bushing carried by the sleeve and slidingly engaged with the longitudinal drive shoulder of the stem and hot ling means supported by the sleeve and adjustable into and out of driving engagement with the transverse drive shoulders of the drill stem.

7. In well drilling apparatus, a' rotary table, a sleeveslidably keyed thereto, a nonrotating power applying head engaged with said sleeve, a drill stem having a longitudinal drive shoulder and transverse drive shoulders, a drive bushing carried by'the sleeve and slidingly engaged with the longitudinal drive shoulder of the stem and swing clamp jaws pivotally supported by the sleeve and provided with readily releasable means.

for securing the same in holding engagement with the transverse drive shoulders of the stem.

8. In well drilling. apparatus, a rotary table, a sleeve slidably keyed thereto, a nonrotating power applying head engaged with said sleeve, a drill stem having a longitudinal drive shoulder and transverse drive shoulders, a drive bushing carried by the sleeve and slidin ly engaged with the longitudinal drive shoulder of the stem and a pair of jaws pivotally supported on the sleeve having opposed open slots at their free ends, a stud sitioned in line withthe opposed slots of the aws and clamp means on said stud for securmg the jaws on the stud and engaged with llu drive shoulder of the stem and a pair of jaws pivotally supported on the sleeve having opposed open slots at their free ends, a stud positioned in line with the opposed slots of the jaws and clamp means on said stud for securing the jaws on the stud and engaged with the transverse drive shoulders of the drill stem, the jaws having inclined meeting faces interlocking under the action of the clamp to prevent separation of the jaws.

10. In well drilling apparatus, a rotary table, a sleeve having a sliding driven engagement in said rotary table, an adapter seated in the upper end of said sleeve, a drive bushing seated in said adapter and having a 'longitudinal drive shoulder, a drill stem operating through said bushing and having a longitudinal shoulder engaged by the drive shoulder of the bushing, clamp jaws pivoted on the adapter and arranged to be swung into driving engagement with the transverse shoulders of the drill stem and means for releasably securing said jaws engaged with said shoulders.

11. In combination with a drill stem having a longitudinal shoulder for rotary driving and transverse shoulders for vertical feed, a rotary driving member having a sliding driving engagement with the longitudinal shoulder of the drill stem and a swing clamp rotating with the rotary drive means and adapted for engagement with the transverse shoulders of the drill stem.

12. In well drilling apparatus, the combination of a rotary table, drill stem driving means partaking of the rotation of said table and comprising a drive bushing supported for engagement with a drill stem extending down through the table, separable jaws engaged over said bushing, said jaws having overlapping portions with their meeting faces inclined reversely to eifect in the overlying relation an interlock to prevent separation of the jaws and clamp means acting on said reversely inclined overlapping portions to releasably secure same in such interlocked relation.

13. In well drilling apparatus, a drill rotating head, a transversely shouldered grief stem engaged thereby, a horizontally swinging member on the drill rotating means for engagement with the shoulder of the grief stem, means for securing said member engaged with the shoulder and means for limitingthe outwardly swinging movement of said member to a point where it will clear said shoulder.

14. In well drilling apparatus, drill rotating means, a transversely shouldered grief stem engaged thereby, swing clamps pivoted on said drill rotating -means, means for securing said clamps engaged with the shoulder and means -for limiting the outwardly swinging movement of the clamps to a point where they clear said shoulder.

15. In well drilling apparatus, a rotary table, a sleeve slidably keyed thereto, power applying mechanism having a lifting and lowering connection with said sleeve, an adapter seated in said sleeve having a seat for a drill stem driving bushing and recessed for the passage of a drill bit through said adapter, a drive bushing engaged in said adapter seat and a clamp overstanding said drive bushing.

16. In well drilling apparatus, a rotary table, a sleeve having a sliding driven engagement therewith, power applying mechanism for raising and lowering said sleeve inde pendently of the table rotation, a drill stem drive bushing seated in said sleeve and a clamp overstanding said bushing.

17. In well drilling apparatus, a rotary table, a sleeve having a sliding driven engagement therewith, power applying mechanism for raising and lowering said sleeve independently of the table rotation, a drill stem drive bushing seated in said sleeve and a clamp overstanding said bushing and comprising clamp plates engageable over the bushing from opposite sides of the drill stem and quickly releasable means for confining, said overstanding clamp plates in holding 

